Kenny Feauto
Kenny grew up on a farm near the small town of Akron, Iowa. At a very young age, he would sneak his dad’s fiddle from under the bed and play. His mother (Clara), talked to his dad (Ambrose) into letting him play. Though Kenny was deaf in one ear, he mastered the fiddle and played on the local radio station.
The story has it, he had to stand on a chair to play into the overhead microphone. He won 1st place at the country fair fiddlers contest accompanied by his brother Oville (as teenagers). It was around this time that he taught himself to play standard guitar.
Around the age of 18, he played a show called “Barn Dance” which aired on Fort Dodge Iowa’s KQTV local station. During this time, he met future wife, Elaine. They married in 1956. He purchased his 1st pedal steel guitar around that time, and taught himself to play.
All his talent was by ear and self taught
- he couldn’t read music.
He joined the band, “The Top Cats” in the early 60’s, and played local clubs on the weekends.
After suffering an injury to his elbow, he began playing music 6 nights a week with the band he formed called “The Showmen”. His wife Elaine was their drummer.
His band quickly became very well known and an area favorite.
They were chosen to back the Statler Brothers at the Fort Dodge stadium in the early 70’s.
During this time they were also the back up band for a job with Tommy Cash (Johnny Cash’s younger brother), known for Six White Horses, Marvin Rainwater (Find me a Bluebird) and Gene Mills (Country Yodeler).
Also during these years, they played a 30 minute segment live on KWMT country radio and were known for a while as the “KWMT Showmen”.
When his youngest son, Kenny Jr., was old enough, he became the drummer for the band and wife Elaine played piano. In the early 80’s, they won 1st place in the Country Music Showdown in Fort Dodge where 12 bands competed.
In the mid 80’s, his daughter Sandy joined the band as a female vocalist after mom Elaine was ready to leave the band due to a bad back.
During this time Kenny ran a farrow to finish hog operation and had gone back to playing only weekends.
Also during this time he changed the band name from “The Showmen” to “Midwest Country”, and was now a 5-piece group which consisted of male and female vocals, piano, bass, drums, standard, fiddle and pedal steel guitar.
In the 90’s, Midwest Country was chosen to open the show for Waylon Jennings/Jessi Coulter at Humboldt County Fair. His son-in-law, David Schmieder (Sandy’s husband) became interested in pedal steel from watching Kenny play, and learned to play also, and purchased the steel that Kenny last played.
A Sho-Bud Super Pro, and plays Danny Boy exactly as Kenny taught him, in his memory at family and cousin reunions.
Sandy recalls when her dad, Kenny, made his steel guitar talk. He made a device from one of the kids' jack-in-the-box and plastic tubing that he would place in his mouth as he mouthed the words to Danny Boy. He also loved to play the “Night Life” on the C6th neck.
Though Kenny was a top notch successful musician, he was a hard worker and a very humble man of faith, and was noted as such, with a side of humor.
He always warned his children, “No matter how talented you might be, don’t ever get the Big Head”, and… they listened.
Music was natural for him, especially the fiddle. He always brought the house down with the “Orange Blossom Special” but…
His great love was the pedal steel guitar.
His favorite of all the instruments he played.
Kenny Feauto Sr. passed away from cancer in August 2009.
Kenny Feauto Jr. (drummer) passed away from cancer July 2022.
Kenny is survived by his wife Elaine, daughter Sandy, and son Paul Feauto.
Thank you, Justin for the opportunity to share the story of our dad, who we love and miss so much; His life, his legacy and his music; the man behind the guitar.
-As written by Sandy & Paul Feauto
